Xavier hands Connecticut first loss
Zach Freemantle scored 16 points and grabbed 11 rebounds, and Colby Jones also scored 16, helping No. 22 Xavier hand No. 2 Connecticut its first loss of the season 83-73 in Cincinnati on Saturday.
Jack Nunge started for Xavier despite an illness that limited him during warmups. He didn’t rejoin the team after halftime until a couple of minutes into the half but finished with 15 points in 24 minutes.
“Thirty minutes before tipoff, he was sleeping,” Xavier coach Sean Miller said. “He looked awful, but he didn’t have a fever. He did the best that he could. We certainly wouldn’t have won if he didn’t play.”
Nunge’s effort wasn’t lost on his teammates.
“Jack came through in the biggest way,” Freemantle said. “He was in there getting fluids, then to see him be that impactful was motivating.”
Xavier (12-3, 4-0 Big East), which joined the AP Top 25 rankings last week, won its eighth consecutive game. Its three losses have come by a combined 13 points to Indiana, Duke, Gonzaga.
Adama Sanogo led Connecticut with 18 points. Andre Jackson Jr. scored 14 points and Jordan Hawkins had 11 for the Huskies.
Connecticut (14-1, 3-1) was off to its best start since beginning the 1998 season 19-0 and going on to win its first NCAA championship.
at No. 4 Kansas 69, Oklahoma State 67:
KJ Adams scored the go-ahead basket with 5.8 seconds left, Kansas stopped Oklahoma State twice at the other end, and the Jayhawks (12-1) came back from 15 down to beat the Cowboys (8-5) in the Big 12 opener for both teams.
No. 6 Texas 70, at Oklahoma 69:
Marcus Carr hit the go-ahead basket in the final minute to help the Longhorns (12-1) escape the
Sooners (9-4) in the Big 12 opener for both teams. It was the Longhorns’ fourth straight win on the Sooners’ home court.
at Iowa State 77, No. 12 Baylor 62:
Gabe Kalscheur and Caleb Grill combined for 41 points as the Cyclones (10-2) upset the Bears (10-3) in the Big 12 opener for both teams. Kalscheur finished with 23 points, including a three-pointer to give the Cyclones a commanding 69-54 lead with 5:22 left.
No. 22 New Mexico 76, at Wyoming 75:
Jamal Mashburn Jr. scored 20 points, including the winning free throws with 17 seconds remaining, to lead the Lobos (14-0, 2-0 Mountain West) over the Cowboys (5-9, 0-2). The Lobos remain one of only two unbeaten teams nationally, joining No. 1 Purdue.
Women at No. 3 Ohio State 66, No. 14 Michigan 57:
Taylor Mikesell scored 16 points and Rikki Harris added 14 as the Buckeyes (15-0, 4-0 Big Ten) won their 15th straight, coming from behind to beat the turnover-prone Wolverines (12-2, 2-1). Cotie McMahon had 12 for the Buckeyes who forced Michigan into a season-high 27 turnovers.